A physically-unclonable function (PUF) can be utilized for data encryption. A PUF circuit provides excellent randomness based on the inherent properties of the components thereof. For example, magnetoresistive-random-access memory (MRAM) has bidirectional resistance, fast and nonvolatile characteristics, random variation of magnetic anisotropy, and a distribution of operating parameters, which makes the MRAM suitable for PUF applications.
As the development of technology proceeds, a variety of electronic devices (including portable and non-portable devices) have become able to share and exchange information through the Internet and cloud storage. In such cases, data security has become an important issue. Therefore, the circuit and control method of the PUF may be applied to data encoding or encryption applications.